no, i haven't read couch's books, but only because i'm waiting for them to come out on audio tape. because i *rarely* ever read non-fiction on my own leisure time! instead i actually prefer to "listen" to them as i commute. :) which tells you something about how nate's book grabbed me in the first place to get me past my rule about only reading fiction and only listening to non-fiction! [but, given my glowing comment on nate's book - best book i've read in YEARS - i wasn't differentiating between reading and listening in this case. because i listen to tons of non-fiction in the car!]
BUT, having said that, a dear friend who simply adored it [big huge smirk now] GAVE me a copy of swofford's jarhead so i *had* to read it. ;-D and actually, in the end, i listened to it too, because i loved the idea of swofford narrating it himself, which he does in a most interesting way, i might add.
kamy's correct - very raw, not for the faint of heart. but beautifully written in a completely different way from nate's, and a terribly poignent story as well.
nate's book is nothing like jarhead, probably because despite the PTSD he suffered, he is simply not the same type of person as swofford. different background, family, upbringing, education... you possibly couldn't find two more different people, despite both being Marines, if you tried. and clearly swofford suffers from genetic and deeper rooted monsters.
that said, i did mean to mention jarhead as well, because in the last 5+ years, jarhead, warrior soul and now one bullet away are the -only- non-fiction books i've brought into my home and "read" in my leisure time!
michelle g